Coating of Graphene

Abstract

A highly crystalline graphene and the coating of said graphene with a layer. Said graphene may have further structures, such as nanopores, nanogaps, and nanoribbons. The coated graphene can be used for biomolecular analysis and modification, such as DNA-sequencing, as a sensor, etc.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation of International Application PCT / NL2014 / 050291, entitled “Coating of Graphene”, to Technische Universiteit Delft, filed on 12 Mar. 2014, which claims priority to Netherlands Patent Application with Serial No. 2010776, filed 8 May 2013, and the specifications and claims thereof are incorporated herein by reference.STATEMENT REGARING FEDERALLY SPONOSRED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT[0002]Not Applicable.INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COM-PACT DISC[0003]Not Applicable.COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL[0004]Not Applicable.FIELD OF THE INVENTION (TECHNICAL FIELD)[0005]The present invention is in the field of graphene and coating said graphene with a layer. Said graphene may have further structures, such as nanopores, nanogaps, and nanoribbons. The coated graphene can be used for biomolecular analysis and modification, such as DNA-sequencing, as a sensor, etc. The invention therefor also relates to use of c...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0025]Inventors characterized DNA passivation properties of the self-assembled monolayer using AFM. Importantly, inventors found that DNA did not adsorb on graphite coated with the present self-assembled monolayer, even at concentrations of DNA as high as 10 ng / μL. This is evidenced by the similarities between the control AFM image (FIG. 3B, self-assembled monolayer on HOPG incubated with 10 mM Tris, 1 M KCl, 8 M urea, pH 8.1 for 10 minutes) and the same self-assembled monolayer incubated with the same buffer containing 10 ng / μL of single-stranded DNA (FIG. 3C). The self-assembled monolayer thus appears to act as an effective hydrophilic barrier that prevents the hydrophobic interaction between nucleobases in DNA and aromatic hexagons in graphene, by a dense packed thin monolayer of a reaction product of the present first and second molecules. The packing preferably covers the graphene surface by at least 20%, more preferably at least 50%, such as at least 80% and it may fully cover the graphene surface.

Problems solved by technology

Also the covalent structure of graphene needs to be intact; such limits the use of (mono)layers significantly.

If the nanostructures are not provided in a controllable, reproducible and reliable manner, a device will have varying and not very predictable characteristics, which is undesired in many instances.

Present inventors identified that DNA translocation of single-stranded and double-stranded DNA is in fact much more difficult when graphene nanopores are clean and crystalline, due to severe clogging and sticking of DNA.

However these conditions yield the deterioration of the graphene lattice with increasing beam exposure time (as evidenced by the loss of the characteristic hexagonal diffraction pattern of graphene; FIG. 1A, situations 1-3).

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